Marcel Pronovost
Hockey Hall of Fame , 1978 | |
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Date of birth | June 15, 1930 |
place of birth | Lac-à-la-Tortue , Quebec , Canada |
date of death | April 26, 2015 |
Place of death | Windsor , Ontario , Canada |
size | 180 cm |
Weight | 82 kg |
position | defender |
Shot hand | Left |
Career stations | |
1947-1949 |
Detroit Auto Club Windsor Spitfires |
1949-1950 | Omaha Knights |
1950-1951 | Indianapolis Capitals |
1951-1965 | Detroit Red Wings |
1965-1969 | Toronto Maple Leafs |
1969-1971 | Tulsa Oilers |
Joseph René Marcel Pronovost (born June 15, 1930 in Lac-à-la-Tortue , Québec ; † April 26, 2015 in Windsor , Ontario ) was a Canadian ice hockey player and coach who worked for the Detroit Red Wings and from 1949 to 1970 Toronto Maple Leafs played in the National Hockey League .
Career
Pronovost grew up as one of twelve children. After his family moved to Shawinigan , he played for his school team at Shawinigan Tech and was the standout striker there. However, the Montréal Canadiens , who had a player privilege in Québec, showed no interest in him. When the Detroit Red Wings with Larry Wilson a young player took under contract, who played for the Shawinigan High, they recommended this to have a look at Pronovost. The Red Wings brought him to their junior team at the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey Association , where he retrained as a defender. Early on, he was occasionally used in the senior division of the Detroit Auto Club in the International Hockey League .
At the end of his first season in the senior division with the Omaha Knights in the United States Hockey League, he was appointed to the Red Wings for the 1949/50 playoffs . There had Gordie Howe hurt, and after this Red Kelly had put in the attack, Pronovost was allowed to take the place of Kelly's defense. So he got his first Stanley Cup before his rookie season . In the following season he moved between Detroit and the Indianapolis Capitals in the American Hockey League . In the 1951/52 season he finally sat down in the Red Wings squad. On the defensive he was robust and uncompromising, but the more he dealt in front of his own goal, he had to take his offensive actions. By the time he retired, he had to be treated 14 times for a broken nose. As one of the dominant defenders of his time, he was appointed four times in a row to the NHL All-Star Team from 1958 to 1961 .
For the 1965/66 season he was given together with Lowell MacDonald and three other players to the Toronto Maple Leafs and received in return, inter alia, Andy Bathgate and Billy Harris . In Toronto he was in the 1966/67 season in the oldest team that could ever win the Stanley Cup. After seven games in the 1969/70 season he ended his NHL career, since he no longer enough thought fit for this league.
He played for a few years for the Tulsa Oilers in the CHL and gained his first experience as a player-coach there.
Punch Imlach , who was his trainer with the Maple Leafs, had meanwhile taken over the Buffalo Sabers as general manager. He signed Pronovost there as a coach. In the 1977/78 season , the Sabers achieved an excellent 105 points, but when the success failed to materialize the following year, he had to vacate his place. That same season he took over the Hull Olympiques in the QMJHL . As an assistant coach, he returned to the NHL and stood behind the gang of the Detroit Red Wings . His last coaching position was with the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey League .
He then worked as a scout for the Central Scouting Service of the NHL and later for the New Jersey Devils . With the Devils he got three other mentions at the Stanley Cup as a scout.
Some of his brothers also became successful ice hockey players. André was the most successful with four Stanley Cup triumphs, Jean made almost 1,000 appearances, mostly for the Pittsburgh Penguins , but Claude also made three appearances as a goalkeeper. His great-nephew Anthony Mantha , Andrés grandson, is also an ice hockey player and currently plays for the Detroit Red Wings.
Pronovost died on April 26, 2015 at the age of 84 in Windsor .
NHL statistics
Seasons | Games | Gates | Assists | Points | Penalty minutes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular season | 20th | 1,206 | 88 | 257 | 345 | 851 |
Playoffs | 16 | 134 | 8th | 23 | 31 | 104 |
Sporting successes
Personal awards
- AHL Second All-Star Team : 1951
- NHL First All-Star Team : 1958 and 1959
- NHL Second All-Star Team : 1960 and 1961
Web links
- Marcel Pronovost in the database of the Hockey Hall of Fame (English)
- Marcel Pronovost at eliteprospects.com (English)
- Marcel Pronovost at hockeydb.com (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bob Duff: Hockey Hall of Famer Marcel Pronovost dead at 84. The Windsor Star, April 27, 2015, accessed April 27, 2015 .
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Pronovost, Marcel |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | = Pronovost, Joseph René Marcel (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian ice hockey player and coach |
DATE OF BIRTH | June 15, 1930 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Lac-à-la-Tortue , Quebec |
DATE OF DEATH | April 26, 2015 |
Place of death | Windsor , Ontario |